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Brass is expensive. Anybody make their own?

I was just shopping for some sheet brass for a little steam engine. It is getting pricey. For what I need, it's not the end of the world, but if I tackle something bigger, this could run into some serious money.

But copper is cheap. And zinc is cheap. I have a foundry. I know about zinc fume poisoning and know how to not get sick. Propane is not stupidly expensive...

Hardly surprising, brass has "less copper than copper does"...... although if you want to actually buy zinc, it isn't exactly cheap either.

I would be surprised if making an alloy yourself would be cheaper than buying the stuff itself, given the cost of equipment and time, added to materials... Since you have the equipment, then it is "just" the cost of time, plus "only" the cost of materials.... "cheap at the price"..... maybe.... or not. Probably "not".

i have been tempted into making electrolytic copper sheet metal. a drum of aluminum slowly rotating in a vat of copper sulphate, with the copper sheet metal continuously pealed off of it. if i couldn't get this to work, then simply making a big enough vat to make 1 meter square sheets of copper would be cost effective.. when copper sheet metal is selling for 14 Usd/Lb and scrap is $2/lb. rolling it into copper gutters or metal roofing would be very cost effective.. if it can handle the task straight out of the electrolytic vat.

making brass or melting down pipe fittings, valves.. not difficult. drawing any kind of diy remelted metal into sheets or wire is another world.

i have been tempted into making electrolytic copper sheet metal. a drum of aluminum slowly rotating in a vat of copper sulphate, with the copper sheet metal continuously pealed off of it. if i couldn't get this to work, then simply making a big enough vat to make 1 meter square sheets of copper would be cost effective.. when copper sheet metal is selling for 14 Usd/Lb and scrap is $2/lb. rolling it into copper gutters or metal roofing would be very cost effective.. if it can handle the task straight out of the electrolytic vat.

making brass or melting down pipe fittings, valves.. not difficult. drawing any kind of diy remelted metal into sheets or wire is another world.

While this is not something I'd try myself, it would be fascinating to see someone try it. I'd think a small table top sized proof of concept unit might not be too terribly difficult to set up. If you go ahead and actually try this, please start a thread here...